February 2, 2008

Laurel School Newsletter
Next Week
Monday, 2/4
  - No events scheduled
 
Tuesday, 2/5
  - No events scheduled
 
Wednesday, 2/6
  - No events scheduled
 
Thursday, 2/7
  - No events scheduled

Friday, 2/8 
  - School Spirit Day - Wear Blue and White
  - Walk or Bike to School Day
Upcoming Events
2/12        Box Tops for Field Trips Deadline
2/13        PTO Board Meeting, 8:45 a.m.
2/15        No School, Staff Development
2/18-22    No School, February Break
2/27        Site Council Meeting, 3 p.m.
3/7          PTO District Council Meeting, 8:30 a.m.
3/10-14    Staff Appreciation Week
3/12        PTO Board Meeting, 8:45 a.m.
3/17-21    No School, Spring Break
3.26        PTO Council Speaker Event: Madeline Levine, 7 p.m.
4/3          Laurel Kindergarten Orientation
4/4          PTO District Council Meeting, 8:30 a.m.
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
New PTO Co-Vice President
Library Volunteers
PTO Council Speaker Event
Kid Chow Lunches
Clothing Needed in Office
Box Tops for Field Trips
Encinal PTO Board Nominations
MPAEF
Community News
Quick Links
Join our Mailing List!
New PTO Co-Vice President: Leslie Burke
Leslie Burke has been unanimously and enthusiastically appointed by the executive board as Co-Vice President with Jeremy Gundel.  Jeremy Gundel will continue his duties as Vice President until the end of this year, but due to a move outside the district, he will be unable to serve as President next year.  Leslie will work with Jeremy for the remainder of the year to transition, and then she will become PTO President next year.  Leslie has a strong understanding of the history and operation of the PTO, having served on the executive board last year as recording secretary and this year as Head Room Parent Coordinator and also having contributed to several committees. If you have not met her, please introduce yourself to this tireless PTO worker.  We offer Leslie a very warm thank you and big congratulations on her new role!

Gina Watkins
PTO President
Kindergarten Registration
District registration for 2008/09 kindergarten students will begin on Friday, February 1. Children who will be age 5 by December 2, 2008, and live within the established school boundaries are eligible to enroll at their assigned school. Please check the new boundary map to confirm your assigned school. The month of February will be considered as a Priority Registration Period - all  applications for student enrollment received during this period will be considered equally.

To obtain a registration packet, you must present the following at the school office:
  • a birth certificate or other legal proof of age
  • proof of residence, defined as a PG&E bill or lease agreement
  • proof of immunization
For details, see the Menlo Park City School District's Kindergarten Registration information.

Parents are asked to register their children as soon as possible to help with class planning for the next school year. For more information, call Laurel School at 324-0186 or Encinal School at 326-5164.
Library Volunteers
We made a scheduling mistake and are looking for people from each class to staff the week of April 28. A schedule is now available in the library for sign-ups. Contact: Cristina Garelli, crigarelli(at)comcast.net.

Thanks,
Rebecca Bloom, Shari Conrad, Cristina Garelli
LE News Now Available
Author visits, behind the scenes at ENTV, the upcoming auction, and lots of photos of our favorite people--all in the January issue of LE News.

To submit a story for the March 24 edition of the LE News, email JoAnne Goldberg, LE News editor, no later than Friday, March 7, 2008.
PTO Council Speaker Event: Madeline Levine
  • The Price of Privilege:  How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids
  • Wednesday, March 26
  • 7 p.m.
  • at Hillview Middle School
New York Times bestselling author Madeline Levine, Ph.D., will speak to district parents about "The Price of Privilege." Dr. Levine, a practicing clinical psychologist in Marin County for 25 years and mother of three, says "America's biggest 'at-risk' group is pre-teens and teens from well-educated families with incomes of $120,000 to $150,000."  She makes the case that our society can't afford to trivialize the mental health crisis among these children.  She'll talk from experience about the universal needs of kids, privileged or not, for connection and discipline from parents, and she'll define the meaning of these terms in her own engaging, energetic and authoritative style. 

Our PTO Council and Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation will sponsor Dr. Levine's appearance so all parents may attend free of charge.  Watch this newsletter for more details.
Kid Chow Lunches
You can order lunches from Kid Chow at any time during the year.   Simply go to kidchow.com and order from the wide selection of items on the menu.  Kid Chow is available only to students in first or second grade.

Kid Chow volunteers are needed on Thursdays in the First Grade Arbor and on Wednesdays in the Second Grade Arbor!   Please contact Mary Picciotto, mary.picciotto(at)laurelpto.org, with days you can help. If you are curious about our new food vendor, this is a great way to see the lunches first hand!
Clothing Needed in Office
Rainy weather means plenty of mud for kids to fall in. The Laurel office needs boys and girls pants, socks, and underwear to provide kids with a change of clothing in such an emergency.  If you have clean used or new clothing you can spare, please drop it by the Laurel office.
Box Tops for Field Trips
Tuesday, February 12, is the deadline for the Winter Box Tops Drive.  Just pop the box tops into your child's blue folder with your completed Tally Sheet.   Your family's efforts are helping fund field trips like the 1st grade's upcoming trip to see Cinderella.  Shortly after February Break we'll return your Baggies to you so you can begin collecting again for the Spring Drive.  Thanks for your continued support! Contact: Amy Barry at aminibarry(at)hotmail.com.
Encinal's PTO Needs Nominations
If your child will begin at Encinal next year, consider participating in the Encinal School PTO Executive Board. Print out a Nomination Form and submit it to the Laurel or Encinal office by February 1, or email your nominations to Christie Tonsfeldt at cdtonsfeldt(at)yahoo.com.
MPAEF
MPAEF New LogoGet on board!  It's not too late for you to make a gift to the MPAEF of any size and help us earn a bonus of up to $25,000 for our schools.  Right now, a very special bonus fund is set to make additional contributions to the MPAEF, $5,000 at a time, for each additional 50 donors to the annual campaign.  In the past week, 52 families have made donations, bringing the total to 856 donor families and earning our second $5,000 bonus!  We need just 44 more families to make a gift of any size and help us earn another $5,000 bonus.  The bonus fund leverages the support of all donor families to help us raise more money for teaching excellence, technology for learning, and curriculum enrichment in our schools.  Donate today at www.mpaef.org/donate.html.
Community News
Spring Break Horsemanship Camp
  • February 18 -22
  • March 17 - 21
  • April 14 - 18
  • Spring Down Equestrian Center, Portola Valley
Here is your chance to spend a week with one of our own horses! Learn how to ride or improve your horsemanship skills during our one week program. Riders are grouped according to experience, but no experience is needed to attend our camps.  Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.,  $425 per week or $90 per day. Contact: 851-1114 or go to www.springdown.com for more information.

Legarza Spring Basketball Camp
  • March 17-21
  • Half Day or Full Day options
  • San Mateo and San Francisco Locations
Our goal is for all campers to feel good about themselves in a safe, disciplined, highly structured, motivated environment of learning and fun.  We place the child and his or her personal development ahead of the game.  Contact: Legarzabasketball(at)yahoo.com or 415-334-3333.  Website: www.legarzabasketball.org

Kepler's Family Story Time
  • 100th Day of Kindergarten Party with Ashley Wolff
  • Sunday, February 3, 2008
  • 11:30 a.m.
  • Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park

Kindergarteners, it is your day to celebrate! Kepler's throws you a 100th Day of Kindergarten Party with our super special host, Ashley Wolff. She'll teach you how to make 100 Day Hats while you nibble on 100 Day Heavenly Hash and drink 100 Day Punch.  Of course, it wouldn't be Story Time without stories, so Ashley will honor your scholastic achievement by reading Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day of Kindergarten and her newly illustrated title The Pen that Pa Built.

**Remember to mention Laurel School at the register and 10% of your Kepler's purchases comes back to our PTO.**
Submit newsletter items by Wednesday at noon or attachments by Tuesday at noon to newsletter(at)laurelpto.org
or phone: 473-1299